The code ‘safe holidays’ and the meeting Mitsotaki-Ieronymos in Maximou

By Dimitris Gatsios

Through a wave of nationwide sweeping scrutiny of pandemic security measures, as well as extensive… testing in the community, the government is implementing the plan for the upcoming Christmas and New Year celebrations.

With his eyes constantly on the Covid-19 indexes, which are mainly related to the admissions to the Intensive Care Units and their imprint on the pressure in the Health system, Kyriakos Mitsotakis expands the cycle of his meetings and contacts to This is part of today’s morning meeting at the Maximos Palace with the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, Ieronymos.

This is a four-hour meeting that comes just twenty-four hours before the presence of the Prime Minister at the extraordinary meeting of the Permanent Holy Synod, next Monday. And this is the first time that the Prime Minister will pass the entrance of the Petraki Monastery, in addition to its symbolism, it is also part of the strategy for a safe Christmas, the successful outcome of which… passes through the role of the church.

Both the current positions of Mr. Mitsotakis, during the meeting with Mr. Ieronymos, and his reports during the work of the Permanent Holy Synod are expected to highlight the need for the Church to further expand its role in the “battle” it gives the country with the fourth wave of the pandemic virus. In addition to the need for controls on the entrance to the holy temples, especially during the festive period, a key issue is to strengthen the message for the vaccination of citizens. Either it is related to the first dose, or to the reminder.

In this field, too, the role that the Church is called to play is considered crucial, especially since the official position of the Holy Synod is in favor of vaccinations and the observance of measures.

According to officials, a few days before the official start of the festive season, the government continues the strategy it has drawn up to deal with the pandemic, emphasizing the use of specific weapons:

– In the vaccination of those who have not been vaccinated yet, especially of our fellow citizens over 60 years who are most at risk of serious disease, but also in the booster dose of those who completed their vaccination by the end of August.

– In the frequent use by everyone – vaccinated and not – of testing, in order to know what our condition is, but also to not inadvertently transmit the infection to the environment and those around us.

Regarding vaccinations, as the government spokesman, Giannis Oikonomou, observed during the press briefing, after the announcement of the obligation to our fellow citizens over the age of 60, there is a significant increase in appointments by these age groups. It is noteworthy that in the last ten days more than 201,000 first installment appointments were made, of which almost 88,000 concerned our fellow citizens aged 60 and over and almost 1,450,000 commemorative installment appointments, of which more than 502,000 concerned citizens over 60 years old. .

“It is a critical period religiously, economically and socially. Professionals, in almost all sectors, look forward to working and it is the duty of all of us, with strict adherence to the measures, but also with vaccination not to hinder the operation of the market and “mainly not to endanger other people”, noted Mr. Economou.